Company News

Slanjayvah Danza News! - August 2015

We just can't hold it in any more!!

We are so freakin' excited to finally announce that we have been successful in receiving the funding support we need to begin the first stage of our next project 6 Feet, 3 Shoes - A celebration of cultural exchange and history through dance and music.

A heart-felt thanks goes out to the Arts Council England, Leeds Inspired and another funding body, (whom we can't credit just yet), who's support has made it possible for us to make new and exciting things happen.

This project re-unites the founding SD artists Jenni Wren, Luisa Galan and Susana Aguilar, accompanied by fantastic composers and musicians Ross Ainslie and Guillermo Salianas Allyón as we enter a collaborative R&D studio process. We are also delighted to be working alongside The Irish Arts Foundation and to have Yorkshire's own born and bred singer Beth Connolly and dance artist Phil Sanger joining us along the way.

"6 Feet, 3 Shoes" will be investigating a synthesis of Spanish and Scottish traditional dance and music, incorporating a sense of Leeds and Yorkshire through our contemporary dance and cross art forms. We will be connecting elements of different traditional cultures, revealing themes that run through Scottish, Andalucían and Yorkshire communities, such as family, friendships and neighbourhood cohesion.

Parallel to this, we are thrilled to be working with a range of partners across the city including DAZL, RJC Dance, Dance Studio Leeds, Cervantes Institute and Sarah Shead from Spin Arts Management (to mention a few) alongside an exceptional range of valuable community members.

With their creative input, we will be building our brand new accompanying community engagement programme, delivering workshops where groups of participants will have the opportunity to work with us in elements of dance, narrative, percussive rhythm, counting, footwork, storytelling, language, folk songs, history, music and chants.

We would like to acknowledge and thank Tessa Gordzeijko and Gwen Van Spijk who have been helping us in the shaping and planning of our project; Dance Studio Leeds, Seven Arts and Yorkshire Dance, for providing us with studio residency space and Sharon Needle and Needle Partners who have opened their doors to welcome us into their new home and office in Chapel Allerton. This means when out of the dance studios, we will have an invaluable creative thinking, planning and organising hub. Yippee!

With a diverse range of exciting artistic talent, collaborators, funders, creative space, partnerships and participants, mixed with such a sense of enthusiasm and support, we absolutely cannot wait to get started this autumn.

News and images will be rolling out more regularly though our webpage, facebook and twitter accounts as everything gets moving, builds momentum and takes shape. We hope that you will follow us along the way in the lead up to the sharing of our results in Spring 2016.